Kagome's Nightmare of Death and Inuyasha's Breakdown
by WiiFan2009
Summary: Kohaku has been revived and the Inu-gang is resting before the final showdown with Naraku. But the trauma of Kagome's near death at Naraku's hands has shaken her to the core, trapping her in a hellish nightmare where even when she wakes up, leaves her unable to discern dream from reality. Can Inuyasha bring her back to her senses, and will his composure stay intact?


A/N: Seeing the episode where Kagome is nearly absorbed by Naraku made me think about how traumatic that must have been after seeing many a demon meet the fate that she was nearly subjected to. This basically details Kagome's Post Traumatic Stress before the final battle. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

 **Kagome's Nightmare of Death and Inuyasha's Breakdown**

The group slept soundly in Kaede's hut. Sango curled on her side, embracing her newly-revived brother and cherishing the peace before they went off to confront Naraku. Miroku sat up against the wall, lightly dozing but able to keep his senses honed on his beloved demon slayer. Inuyasha lay similarly to Miroku, keeping his senses honed on the priestess before him; the priestess who he nearly lost to Naraku. As for the priestess in question, she lay curled on her side, covered in a cocoon of blankets to keep out the cold. However, even within her own barrier, she wasn't completely safe, as nightmares plagued her even in the safety of her own sanctuary.

 _ **Where…where am I?**_

 _Kagome walked forward, recognizing it as the cliff where they recently had their latest battle with Naraku._

" _Inuyasha? Sango? Miroku? Shippo?"_

 _But nobody answered; she was alone, though not for long. She shrieked as eight gray appendages curled themselves around her, fastening her to a somewhat gooey surface._

 _ **What…what's going on?**_

 _She looked up and saw the most reviled face she could think of._

" _NARAKU!"_

 _The aforementioned half-demon merely cackled as he held her tighter against his torso._

" _You're all alone now, Kagome! There's nobody who can save you this time!"_

 _At this, Naraku's torso seemed to part, and Kagome felt herself getting pulled in._

" _I'm getting sucked in! INUYASHA, HELP!"_

 _Naraku merely laughed at Kagome's calls for help._

" _Inuyasha's not coming for you this time, Kagome. Just accept the fact that you'll now become one with my body. After all, you no longer have your priestess powers to defend yourself with, HAHA!"_

 _Kagome shrieked, bucking back and forth in an attempt to break Naraku's grip._

 _ **NO, NO, NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!**_

 _Kagome continued to wail as she was enveloped by darkness, the last of her body being absorbed by the vicious Naraku._

Kagome shot up, panting and panicking. Half in her dream and half in reality, she ripped the blankets off of her and raced out into the forest. Inuyasha opened his eyes groggily, but they widened in shock at seeing Kagome gone, her blankets in a disheveled heap.

 _Kagome? KAGOME!_

Panting in panic, he ran just outside, honing his ears for a sound that would lead him to her. He then heard a wail that had him racing towards the forest in an instant.

 _Hang on, Kagome! I'm coming!_

He could only pray that she would be safe when he reached her.

Kagome continued to race through the forest, fearful that Naraku was still behind her.

 _Gotta get out of here…Inuyasha, WHERE ARE YOU?!_

Suddenly she found herself restrained, arms wrapping themselves around her and pressing her against a smooth torso. Still half in her dream world, she panicked and screamed. This shocked Inuyasha; in all the time that he's known her, not once has she ever been scared of him.

 _What could have happened to make her like this?_

"NO! LET ME GO, NARAKU!"

"Kagome, Naraku's not here. It's just me!"

Kagome merely bucked back and forth, trying to get herself free.

"NO, NO, NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE, I DON'T WANNA DIE, I DON'T WANNA DIE! INUYASHA, HELP ME!"

As tears streamed down her cheeks, Inuyasha's heart broke at seeing the woman he loved cry so hysterically when he was trying to protect her.

"Kagome, nobody is trying to kill you. Naraku isn't here. I'm RIGHT HERE! You don't have to be afraid."

He tried rubbing her belly to try and calm her down, but she kept bucking against him, wailing in fear and terror.

"LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!"

By this point, Inuyasha was seriously frightened and close to his own breaking point. He had comforted Kagome during some of her previous night terrors, but this was a whole new game. He didn't know how to comfort a Kagome that wouldn't react to his touch or his voice. He tried swaying back and forth to mimic rocking her like he did after her previous nightmares when they were sitting down, but she just wailed louder and bucked harder, if that was possible.

Inuyasha had officially gone hysterical himself, tears now streaming from his eyes as he prayed that this whole episode was just a twisted nightmare that he would wake up from.

 _Nothing's working. I've tried everything! How do I let her know that I'm here and Naraku's gone?_

At that moment, the moment when he comforted Kagome after Tsubaki's death came to mind, giving him inspiration.

 _Well, here goes nothing…_

Inuyasha took a deep breath, and began to sing. He did not blush, since this was far too frightening a situation for him to even think about feeling embarrassed.

"Hush, little puppy, sleep little girl. Things will be alright with me, I can tell. Don't let the darkness make you scared. I'll make sure it doesn't come near. Soon the light will shine. I promise you that you'll be fine."

His tune was mixed with sobs as he was still crying. Despite the uneven melody, Kagome's wails turned into whimpers until she opened her eyes, fully back into reality now that the haze of her dream was dispelled.

"Where…Where am I? Where's Naraku?"

She looked down at her waist to see the loose red sleeves wrapped around her waist and a clawed hand resting softly on her belly. She looked up to see a panicked, relieved, and tear-streaked face that she knew all too well.

"Ya…Yasha?"

"Gome…"

Before she could reach up to wipe his tears away, Inuyasha bent down to nuzzle his face in her neck. He then rested his head on her shoulder and rubbed her belly.

"Get some sleep, Kagome. I'll bring you home."

If she had any argument for him, it was left unspoken by the pleasure she felt from Inuyasha rubbing her belly. Yawning, she let herself collapse against him, curling up against his torso. Inuyasha wasted no time, moving his hand from her belly to under her legs so he could carry her in his arms. With Kagome in tow, he walked down to the well and swiftly jumped in, surrounded by the light of the Bone-Eater's Well.

A red blur burst out of the wellhouse, carrying Kagome in its arms. Inuyasha opened the front door and stealthily crept up the stairs so that he wouldn't wake up her family. At last, they reached her room, and Inuyasha turned the doorknob, opening the door and walking inside. Once they reached her bed, he crawled on it until they were both laying down on the mattress. Inuyasha didn't dare leave; even if he wanted to, and he was too shaken up by the evening's events to even consider it, Kagome held onto him as though she would die without him there. Inuyasha gave a sad, teary smile, reaching with a hand to pet her raven hair.

"You really scared me, you know. I nearly had a heart attack when you ran off like that. I didn't know what had been hurting you. I was so frightened that I'd be too late to save you. And when I finally caught up to you…"

Inuyasha shook his head, reflecting on the craziness. He continued, his voice shaking with tears.

"You didn't even recognize my voice. I was right there. I was trying to protect you from whatever scared you. But I couldn't reach you this time. You were so hysterical that you didn't realize until I sang to you that I was there holding you."

Inuyasha reflected on the events that happened earlier that evening, during their battle with Naraku.

"This is all my fault. If I had seen him coming, I could have spared you the trauma that bastard put you through, and you wouldn't have had any nightmares. Hell, if I hadn't dragged you back here at all, you would never had been harmed at all. No Naraku, no Band of Seven, no Kaguya, no Tsubaki, no Menomaru. You would have been safe and happy without knowing me. I…I failed you, Kagome."

Tears streamed down Inuyasha's cheeks. For once, he did nothing to try and hide them. He openly wept in front of the slumbering priestess he had fallen in love with. Once Inuyasha had finished sobbing, he opened his mouth to speak. Inuyasha hesitated, and then spoke four words to her as Kagome slumbered, sobs still in his throat.

"I love you, koishii."

Kagome nuzzled closer to Inuyasha, almost as if she was reacting to his declaration of love.

Inuyasha smiled, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back as he fell asleep, joining Kagome in slumber, his sobs quieting as he took comfort in the fact that she was safe in his arms.

 _I promise I won't let him hurt you anymore, Kagome. No matter what it takes…_

It wasn't until the next morning that Kagome's eyes fluttered open. Surrounded by a sea of red, she looked up to see the half-demon of her dreams staring intently at her.

"Hey. You feeling alright?"

Kagome could only nod in reply, her voice leaving her.

"Good. I should get going. Naraku still needs to be slain."

As he started to get up, Kagome rose to join him, until she was pushed back down on the mattress by a clawed hand.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked off to the side as he contemplated how to break the decision he made last night to her.

"I'm going…alone, Kagome. You're staying here."

Steam came out of her ears as she was overcome with anger.

 _That stubborn boy! Doesn't he remember that I asked to stay with him? Twice?_

"INU…YA…SHA. If you think that for a SECOND, that I'm going to leave you to DIE, then your must have too much fur in your ears!"

"Kami, you…you…"

Inuyasha sighed and fell to his knees, worrying Kagome.

"I can't do it…I can't call you that again…"

Comprehension lit Kagome's features as she walked over to him and knelt down to his level.

"You were about to call me a wench, weren't you?"

Inuyasha nodded glumly.

"I thought that if I made you angry or hurt your feelings on purpose, then you'd be too upset with me to want to go back. But I can't fall back on my old ways anymore."

"Inuyasha, I trust you to protect me. That's what you promised, remember? And you never break your promises."

Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders, determined to make her see things his way.

"That was when I thought I COULD protect you. Last night…last night showed me that I have no power whatsoever to protect you from Naraku."

"Inuyasha…"

She reached up to touch his cheek and cradle his face.

"I don't…I don't blame you for what happened…"

He merely shook his head, determined not to fall to her attempts to comfort him.

"Kagome, I KNOW you don't blame me, but the fact remains that in the heat of battle, Naraku managed to take you hostage and nearly killed you! Even five feet away, I was helpless to defend you. Your life almost ended, and I don't even have Kikyo to use as an excuse for why I wasn't there. And when you ran out of that hut…"

Inuyasha shook his head, tears flowing down his cheeks like rivers. Kagome's heart broke; this was the first time he had cried in front of her when she was still awake and didn't try to hide it.

"I was so frightened. I didn't know what was wrong. And it took everything I had just to get through your skull that I was right there. I couldn't even protect you from your own nightmares. Kagome, my TIME isn't safe, especially not with Naraku and a completed Shikon Jewel!"

He shook her by the shoulders, desperate to get his point across.

"Kagome, here it's safe. Here with your mother and grandfather and Sota and your friends and your school…So PLEASE! Stay here where it's safe. Don't make me block the well again, PLEASE!"

He buried his head underneath her neck, sobbing against her and dampening her nightgown.

"Inuyasha…"

Kagome wrapped her arms around his head, gently stroking his ears. Inuyasha purred in contentment, nuzzling even closer to her.

"When you burst into my kitchen for the first time and hauled me back to face Yura, it left Mom shaken. But in the time that I was gone, she realized that it was my destiny to go through that well. That's why she let me go on this journey in the first place; because she knew that it was my destiny. And I will not forsake my responsibilities on your side simply because it's safer here. If you or Sango or Miroku or Shippo died simply because I stayed home out of fear, I'd never forgive myself."

"Gome…"

Kagome smiled at him, touched by his overwhelming concern for her, but showing that she wasn't going to back down on this.

"I'm not going to ask a third time to stay with you, Inuyasha. I'm telling you, I WILL stay with you. No matter what happens, I will stay with you."

"Gome…"

Kagome squeezed his hand in comfort as she leaned forward and for a split second pecked his lips, leaving a stammering boy in his place and making Kagome giggle.

"Consider that a taste of our future. We'll win this, Inuyasha. I know that you'll keep me safe over there."

Inuyasha touched his lips, smiled, and wiped his eyes. He grasped her arm and slung her onto his back. He smirked as she wrapped her legs around his torso and clung to his neck. He threw the window open and jumped to the ground, racing into the wellhouse and jumping inside, the familiar lights enveloping them as they headed for their final battle.

 _I promise, you'll never be tormented by Naraku's evil ever again!_

 _I promise, you'll never be tormented by Naraku's evil ever again!_


End file.
